Suspension-roof.



C. BUTLER.

SUSPENSION R00?.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 2s, 1913.

1,109,399, Patented Sept. 1,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

.'HE NORRIS PETERS CO., PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. DA C.

C. BUTLER.

SUSPENSION ROOF.

APPLIOATIoN FILED AUG. 23, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2` WITNESSES INVENTUR ATTURNEYS YNI.' MORRIS PETERS CO,. PHOTOLITHCL WASHINGTON. D CA Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

yindicate corresponding views, and in which- UNrrED t cooiinY BUTLER, OF Niiw YORK, Nxi

` 'siisrn'ivsioN-Roor.

T0 ail-whom it may concern: i

Be itknown that I, CooLEjr BUTLER, av citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city oiiNew York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and VState of New York, 'have invented a new and mprovedv Suspension-Roof, of which the Afollowing is a full, clear, and exact description. y

This invention relates to architecture or building construction and has particular reference to a roof construction adapted' t'oj` cover a wide expanse of surface.

Among the particular objects `ofthe inveiition is to provide a suspension means for a roof whereby a roof of any desired size or area may be supported from or beyond its edges only, leaving the space beneath the rooiiwholly unobstructed. Roofs of this type are designed to inclose areas large enough to accommodate circuses, fairs, field meets, baseball, football orother ath-' letic games, whereby such events may be held in all kinds of weather or even at night bythe provision oi'suitable lighting 'acilities which may be supported from the roof, The lighting features, however, not constituting per se any part of this invention, are not shown.

rEhe foregoing and other objects of the invention will hereinafter be more fully de-` scribed andy claimed and illustrated in thef drawings 'forming a part of this 'speciiifca-- tion in"which like characters ofreference Figure l isla longitudinal section, somewhat diagrammatic, of one orm of this.in

vent ion;-l*`ig. 2 isa transverse viewvoi lthev saine; Fig. 3 is a perspective view/indicating one corner of the suspension cables and hangers which I employ in -this construe#y tion; Fig. 41s a detail indicating the means 2 for` i pivotally connecting adjacent y roof` beams; and Fig. 5 is a detail indicatingy the manner of rendering'the edges of the roof substantially storm-proof K From what has been stated above,-it will be obvious thatfthe relative sizes and prof portions or" the parts of this construction.

may be varied to alarge extent 4without de parting from the spirit of the invention and 4 likewise the materials used'may varied as may be found suitable for contract.

rlhe area sought to be inclosed by the roof may bei'egarded as substantially rectangu- .parts `in all the any particular Specication of Letters Patent.v 1, 1,914, Applicationinea'Augustaaaeia seriaino. 786,262.

lar andofabreadth equal to its length. As' shown` indTigs.y 1 and 2, the said area'will` be understood. as being bounded by rend members 10` and l1 and lside members 12 land 13. These, side fandV end members may .beof lany suitablefmaterial or'elevationand may includev any suitable number of columnsortowersld and '15 arranged oppoi site each otherin pairs. n

LX suspensionmember'preferably in the two series, one above 'the other andsubstan-v tially transverse thereto. The cablesoi-onel i Y series are suspended lbeneath tlie'cable's of "and reliability the cablesar'e Varranged in'f70 the other series byv means rof hangers 17 Each of said hangers i is yconnected I `r`at its exo endsto the cablesby-vclips'lS and 19 or in" any other suitable manner. y y

The roof properf may consist of a layer 20 of any suitable water-proof fabric or lother material, 4the sainebeing laid 'f upon "iooring or filling material 21 secured to longitudinal beams strfi'ngers22. These striiigers will, of course`,"be-made'up of any f suitable' lengths or pieces, depending upon the scope of the roof," and at any desired places, especially-at `the center Aor along :the

comb of the roof,ithey are connected `to-y gethe'r by joints or;plates 23`r in order toprofl vide for the 'eli'ect of contraction and eX?v y pansion of the suspension members .16'duef right `angles to said stringersjthroughout the width of the inclosure. `Saidbeams `24 are to changes of season or vtemperature.'r Thek stringers in turn 'are' supported uponA heavytbeams 24 which lie beneath andgatv supported from the suspensionmembers 16" bymeans ofliangers 25 connected by clips 26 or otherwise to the Alower series of Asaid suspension members and 'at5their lower ends necessary'by plates28: `It will'be apparent,

therefore, `tha-t the? roocpr'oper is not conthem vfor free vertical movement."

VIn order to excluderain and other ele` nected directly to thesupporting columns or towers 14,and"15,`-but is yitted ,within ments romibetween.thefedgesot'the:roof 11G andthe side and endy supports, I `provide preferably the following mechanism: jAt 29 I show 'inclined pieces or sheets of flashing, preferably of sheet metal, each piece having its upper edge engaged vover a flange or bracket 3l carried by the end edge ofthe roof. The water-proof material 2O of the roof also may extend upwardly beneath the hook connection of said flashing, as shown in F ig. l. plate 29 extends outwardly overlapping the upper edge 10 or 1l of the main end support with which it has a certain amount of free slidable movement and yet'maintaining the storm-proof connection. The other side walls l2 and 13 are provided with downwardly and inwardly projecting ledgesI 32 which consist of a plate or a succession of plates connected along the upper edge at 38 to its wall and having the lower edge braced as at 34, making a stiifandfrigid construction. The adjacent side edge of the roof is provided with an upwardly projecting flange which preferably carries also the adjacent edge of the water-proof roofing 20, the latter extendingwell up beneath the ledge 32 but preferably spaced therefrom to compenfsate for ,any vertical movements of the roo Having thus described my invention, I claimA as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. The herein described roof construction comprising, in combination, elevated supports arranged opposite each other in pairs, suspension members, each of such members resting upon and suspended between a pair of said supports, one set of said members being above another set thereof, hangers extending vertically between the two sets of members, a roof proper `arranged beneath said suspension members and movable vertically with respect to said-supports, and a series of hangers depending from the lower set of suspension' members and constituting the only means for supporting the roof proper.

2. In a roof structure'of the character set forth, the combination of elevated supports arranged in pairs crosswise and lengthwise of the roof, the supports of each pair being widely spaced from each other, a series of suspension 'members,. each member being supported upon apair of said supports, a

Yseries of stringers and roof beams beneath the suspension members and extending between said supports but independent thereof, a series of hangers between the beams and said members, means to connect the upper endsof the hangers to the suspension members and-the lower endsthereof to the beams, and a storm and water-proof roof proper arranged between the suspension members The lower edge of the 4two subscribing witnesses.

and they stringers .and supported by said stringers and beams.

3. In a device of the character set forth, the combination of pairs of elevated supports arranged opposite each other at great distances, flexible suspension members extending between and supported upon said pairs of supports, the intermediate portions of the suspension members being otherwise unsupported, all of said suspension members being ofsubstantially the same length and half of them being arranged at right angles to the other half, a roof construction extending between the elevated supports and independent thereof for vertical movements, and hanger means to support the roof from beneath the suspension members whereby the roof is not only supported but may partake of any vertical movements incident to ychanges of season or variations in temperature.

4f. The herein described roof construction comprising stringers, beams arranged beneath the stringers and at an angle thereto, water-proofing material extending from one end of the roof to the other above said stringers, elevated supports, suspension members each extending from one support to another at a great distance and some of said members being arranged at right angles to and spaced above the rest, means to support the roof beams from said suspension members, the ends of the roof being free to move vertically with respect to said supports, and means to exclude rain and snow from the space between the roof and the supports. s

5. In a suspension roof'construction comprising, in combination, elevated supports arranged opposite each other in pairs crosswise and lengthwise of the roof, a series of flexible suspension members extending' across and supported upon said pairs of supports,

construction proper arranged within all of` said supports and independent thereof, and means to support the roof construction proper from the lower series of suspension members.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of cooper BUTLER.

Copies of this patent may beobtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. i 

